Q&A: The end of gross metering

Q

I am a long-term member of the ATA and I wonder if you could advise me. Did ATA promote an electricity supplier last year as an alternative to the main ones which are so coal-dependent, and if so which one?

I am with Energy Australia and 10 years ago I put in solar cells and they paid me what I paid them. A few years back when the feed-in-tariff (FiT) was introduced I was given a time-of-day meter for free and have been on a 60c/kWh FiT and gross metering ever since.

Now from 1 January 2017 they offer two plans: buy a smart meter and get 6c FiT and pay $120 per annum or buy a smart meter and get 12c FiT and pay $240 per annum plus a panel wash once a year! I also understand that the smart meter they propose cannot be read remotely from my living room. Would you have more information? I am actively looking for alternatives (I live in Artarmon, NSW).

—David Bruce-Steer

A

In 2015, we worked with Total Environment Centre to produce the following online green retailer’s guide available at www.greenelectricityguide.org.au.

However, the end of the NSW gross FiT and the need for net metering to be established has changed the ball game somewhat. While the greenest and dirtiest retailers won’t have changed much, who is offering the best deal to transition you to a net metering arrangement with the most competitive feed-in and consumption tariffs can only really be ascertained by shopping around. We have prepared general advice on what to look for; find the report at www.ata.org.au/ata-research/life-after-feed-in-tariffs-report. Retail offers are changing regularly so the Australian Energy Regulator’s tariff comparator site may be the best place to compare them, as it’s location/network specific: www.energymadeeasy.gov.au